Where Are the Cartoons Going? Not Cartoon Network

It seems like this is becoming the norm with "niche" cable channels; they reach the limits of their audience, then decide to chase bigger numbers by eroding whatever brand identity that made them of interest in the first place. It's why Sci-Fi airs wrestling and AMC stopped running classic movies in favor of "Mad Men." (Say what you will about "Mad Men," but it's not a movie.) I understand why it makes financial sense, but as a viewer I want to see cartoons when I tune to Cartoon Network. And when I tune in to the Weather Channel, I want to know what the weather will be, not to watch a precipitation-related feature film.

On the other hand, working as I do for a PBS station (a "variety service" if there ever was one) I'm happy to see Food Network, TLC and A&E abandon their attempts to poach the genres we established. It undercuts the old "why should we continue to fund PBS when we have (insert lookalike cable channel here)" argument when they've given up any pretense of arts or education.

I remember back in the mid-90's when I was in college, I loved this little network called FX. FX was a new kind of cable network from the Fox people which featured all kinds of live TV shows out of an apartment. They had a live pet show, live antique show (pre-Antique Road Show), as well as a movie review show, and a morning talk show (ala Today, Good Morning America), and a host of other interesting programs. Today FX is just another network with the Fox label, not unlike TBS or USA...just another network broadcasting movies & syndicated TV shows. A fine network...but it bears little similarities to the original network which debuted in the 90's.

I've noticed this Cartoon Network trend. I am an unabashed adult consumer of cartoons (I sometimes have the TV tuned to cartoons on mute as I work, corny but hey, weirdly enough, it works for me creatively, street cred be dmnd), but after the 5th hour of Spongebob on that other channel, one starts to seriously pine for a good ol'Johnny Bravo marathon.

It's a "What have done lately" with these niche shows and it hard when the item that made you popular is now losing it appeal

Still Cartoon Network was once a show that show Warner Bros & Hanna-Barbera cartoons until they started expanding with orginal animation and anime as well as useing internet with great guesto and with it with Disney doing well with there live programing Cartoon Network needs to expand to compete

I think that this is yet another example of how the network model is no longer sustainable. People are no longer tuning into channels, they are tuning into SHOWS. And it no longer matters where these shows are found.